I walk into a room of 500 dining women waiting for someone to take the stage and my fear isn’t speaking in front of these women.

It’s eating with them.

I don’t know where I’m going to sit. My hands are sweaty, my heart is pounding like the rain on the window.

And my fear is a brewing storm.

Yet, I keep dancing with it.

Being fearless is temporary. At some point, something in our life triggers fear. What if my husband has a wreck driving home in this storm? What if those test results come back positive? What if I can’t pay that bill? The what ifs open the door to fear.

Dancing with fear is seeing the world as it is and then wisely stepping out into the unknown anyway.

It’s slowing sitting down among strangers, instead of running from that vast dining room to the safety of storm outside.

I love safety and comfort.

Which is why it’s sort of crazy that God has called me to a dangerous life of wild obedience.

But saying yes to God doesn’t make me brave because I’m still afraid; it makes me obedient.

When Jesus says, “Do not be afraid,” it isn’t to suggest that we do something crazy or stupid. It’s an acknowledgment that it’s in our nature to be afraid. It’s a reminder that we aren’t alone. Fear can be a tool to propel us into courageous living.

But I can’t find that calling in the Bible — to live a safe and comfortable life.

There is only one thing more powerful than fear; it’s love.

From birthing babies to marrying my best friend (not in that order), I have been scared to death of both. But love conquered fear. Risking it all on an outrageous God-sized dream was driven by love for God and love for others. Audacious love for others is where we walk in freedom from being afraid.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience
in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you know what really happens when we look fear in the face?

We live a courageous life. Not because we are brave, but because God is gloried in our weakness.

Kristen Welch

Kristen writes at her parenting blog, We Are THAT Family and is author of Rhinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God When Safe Sparkly Faith is No Longer Enough and founder of The Mercy House. Follow Kristen on twitter as @WeareTHATfamily.
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